Fencer Rahul returns from Egypt with silver and bronze
Rahul van Manen participated in the British Fencing Invicta Open Competition on March 16 in the senior men's epee and was placed fifth overall.
POLOKWANE – Rahul van Manen from the Sello Maduma Fencing Academy won silver in the team u/20 epee event and bronze in the team foil at the Junior African Championships held in Egypt March 1 to 7.
Rahul was the only fencer from the province representing the country.
The South African team fared well against most of the participating African countries, but the Egyptian team proved a challenge as some of the fencers who fenced in the Junior African Championships were preparing for this year’s Olympic Games.
Rahul lost in the individual event to the world number one, who also went on to win the gold medal.
Renuka Ramroop, the chairperson of the Limpopo Fencing Association (LFA) said the outcome was unlucky but that Rahul stood his ground.”We are very proud of Rahul for making the South African team and for bringing home medals for Limpopo. We are also very proud that our very own coach Joseph was an outstanding national team manager for this event.”
Joseph Maluleke, the national team manager said the team performed well against the best fencers from other African countries. “South Africa can be proud of their achievements. At the same time it was an eye opener to see how much more training and skills development our fencers need to compete at international competitions.”
Rahul has represented South Africa in the Junior African Championships since 2018 where he first won an individual bronze as a budding 14-year-old.
Since then he has remained in the top four in terms of ranking in South Africa and has qualified for seven consecutive competitions.
He fenced in five of the seven and has always come home with a medal.
This was his last Junior African Championship as he now moves onto the senior category.
He has been an excellent ambassador for Limpopo Fencing and an excellent junior fencer for Fencing South Africa.
He participated in the British Fencing Invicta Open Competition on March 16 in the senior men’s epee and was placed fifth overall.
Rahul was disappointed that he missed a podium finish by just one point, as he lost 15-14 in the quarter-finals.
He was, however, happy with his overall performance and result.
His fifth place in the senior competition also gave him the gold medal for being the highest junior fencer in the senior event. “This was an excellent result for Rahul in a competition that saw 86 fencers fight for the gold medal. He will add another two competitions for his international experience by fencing in The Netherlands and possibly in Germany. LFA wishes him all the best in his senior fencing,” Ramroop said.
After his experience in Cairo, Rahul went to England to continue building on his international fencing experience. “We look forward to some good results and wish Rahul all the best in his upcoming competitions,” concluded Ramroop.
